Well all I can say is: I have known Helder and Mike for many years Via WKF and WEBBS. Neither one has done a personal foul to me and both are very skilled men in Juko shin Ryu Jui Jitsu and Can Ryu Jiu Jitsu.

I do not agree with padding documents to represent higher grades than what you are by anyone. Friend or not. But I will not turn my back on a friend regardless.

Helder is a very talented person and one can still learn a lot from him and Mike is exceptional in Jiu Jitsu to say the least.

I have been in the martial arts since 1973 and I currently hold a 4th dan in Juko Shin Ryu from Soke Bryan Cheek himself.

I have also known Prof Richard Morris since the late 80's very early 90's, I have studied under both men and both these men are amazing in what they do as well.
I would not discredit either of them.

People make mistakes. I will not judge Helder based on this but based on what I learned from him that I did not know before taught it to me.

Belts don't make teachers. Skills and ability make teachers..
But I do feel it takes away from all the hard work everyone else had to endure to earn their respective ranks.

Well all I can say is: I have known Helder and Mike for many years Via WKF and WEBBS. Neither one has done a personal foul to me and both are very skilled men in Juko shin Ryu Jui Jitsu and Can Ryu Jiu Jitsu.

I do not agree with padding documents to represent higher grades than what you are by anyone. Friend or not. But I will not turn my back on a friend regardless.

Helder is a very talented person and one can still learn a lot from him and Mike is exceptional in Jiu Jitsu to say the least.

I have been in the martial arts since 1973 and I currently hold a 4th dan in Juko Shin Ryu from Soke Bryan Cheek himself.

I have also known Prof Richard Morris since the late 80's very early 90's, I have studied under both men and both these men are amazing in what they do as well.
I would not discredit either of them.

People make mistakes. I will not judge Helder based on this but based on what I learned from him that I did not know before taught it to me.

Belts don't make teachers. Skills and ability make teachers..
But I do feel it takes away from all the hard work everyone else had to endure to earn their respective ranks.

Belts dont make teachers.
Ethic make's teachers.
Helder Nunes is a fraud. He does not have the technical knowledge that you say he does. I have trained with him, I dont know him from a fancy seminar.
My personal opinion is that frauds must be kept outside the martial arts world, and a martial artist must give the example.
No need to defend Helder Nunes, he is not a teacher or a martial artist.Ask any of his students. Hell, ask any of his portuguese masters.

Well Helder must have some technical ability to have gotten somewhere and received belts from other masters.
I am not defending his actions.
I am saying he has never done anything wrong to me.
I don't agree with what was done. But so far, all I have seen is one mans post to say thins was done.
If it is true or not, is not for me to say but I would like to see more proof if there is any before I jump on the bandwagon to burn Helder at the stake here.

I am sure if any of us was in this postition, we would like there to be solid prrof one way or another.
It took me years to earn my belts and I will be the first to say "F#&* you you C*&@ smoker" if / when it is proven 100%.

I do not know how ranking is done in Portugal, but hereabouts (Germany/Austria/Switzerland) ranking commissions are pretty standard.

So if you have a 1st dan and think you are ready for second, you just attend the next test (most organizations hold them pretty regularly), show the commission what you learned and if they think you fullfill the standards of a 2nd dan, you get ranked.

This of course means, that people do not have to wait for their teachers to bestow the magical spell of "I ranketh thee blackbelt" onto them. Which might mean that they rank faster then with traditional ranking.

Add to that the fact that many organizations see all belts above 5th dan as purely honorary ranks (e.g. you can't test for them, but get them as a reward for exceptional commitment) and you get the picture of how a younger person might end up with a 6th dan.

I do not know how ranking is done in Portugal, but hereabouts (Germany/Austria/Switzerland) ranking commissions are pretty standard.

So if you have a 1st dan and think you are ready for second, you just attend the next test (most organizations hold them pretty regularly), show the commission what you learned and if they think you fullfill the standards of a 2nd dan, you get ranked.

This of course means, that people do not have to wait for their teachers to bestow the magical spell of "I ranketh thee blackbelt" onto them. Which might mean that they rank faster then with traditional ranking.

Add to that the fact that many organizations see all belts above 5th dan as purely honorary ranks (e.g. you can't test for them, but get them as a reward for exceptional commitment) and you get the picture of how a younger person might end up with a 6th dan.

Tests are indeed given here that way as well. Up to 4th dan. After all, it is at the discretion of the higher belts.
I know Helder was given a higher rank when he was "Asked to leave" WEBBS and joined JJI.
This is another practice I don't agree with. leave on and join another and be granted a higher rank just for it.

I would love to have some of Helders old teachers weigh in on this issue.

I've never met Helder Nunes, but I've trained under Pat Lavigne (from Balance Martial Arts, Nomad Kickboxing, etc) and he was as real as it gets. He was a top-notch teacher and he obviously knew what he was doing. No bullshido. No McDojo shadiness. All skill, all knowledge, all professionalism and all class. He could teach new things even to the most seasoned of judo, jiu-jistu, wrestling, grappling, submissions (vets).

The reason I mention this is is that Pat Lavigne and his school have organized seminars by Helder Nunes in Ottawa. Additionally, I know that Pat has trained with / for Helder Nunes in Portugal and in other parts of Europe.

Pat speaks (or at least spoke) very highly of Helder Nunes so, unless some shadiness has been discovered over the past little while, I will trust his judgement.

And, should it be discovered that Helder Nunes truly is a fraud, then I think that it should not reflect on the quality and professionalism of training that one will receive from Pat Lavigne and his team at Balance Martial Arts and Nomad Kickboxing.

He is an awesome teacher than I would reccommend to anyone, PERIOD, without a doubt in my mind.

Pat has been a friend of mine since he was in grade school. We studied under Gary Houldsworth together and under Soke Bryan Cheek.
I know Pat got his 4th dan from Helder but I am not sure what else.
Pat is indeed a great martial artists.

I've never met Helder Nunes, but I've trained under Pat Lavigne (from Balance Martial Arts, Nomad Kickboxing, etc) and he was as real as it gets. He was a top-notch teacher and he obviously knew what he was doing. No bullshido. No McDojo shadiness. All skill, all knowledge, all professionalism and all class. He could teach new things even to the most seasoned of judo, jiu-jistu, wrestling, grappling, submissions (vets).

The reason I mention this is is that Pat Lavigne and his school have organized seminars by Helder Nunes in Ottawa. Additionally, I know that Pat has trained with / for Helder Nunes in Portugal and in other parts of Europe.

Pat speaks (or at least spoke) very highly of Helder Nunes so, unless some shadiness has been discovered over the past little while, I will trust his judgement.

And, should it be discovered that Helder Nunes truly is a fraud, then I think that it should not reflect on the quality and professionalism of training that one will receive from Pat Lavigne and his team at Balance Martial Arts and Nomad Kickboxing.

He is an awesome teacher than I would reccommend to anyone, PERIOD, without a doubt in my mind.

Well, it seems that i am alone, and that my effort is being taken as 'badmouthing'.
I dont want Helder Nunes beaten, or his life ruined. I just want him out of martial arts world, because he teaches others, what he dont know.
I am a very bad person, that speaks bad of others, maybe im not worthy of the Bushido way. Maybe i am the wrongdoer here.

About 8, nine years he was a blue belt from Algarve teacher Leote Menau. He went to study Law to Coimbra, and he got a brown belt in Judo, from my Sensei Alain. In the fencing department of our University, he forged government declarations of high competition athletes and sold them until it was all found.
Please contact http://www.academica.pt/Default3.aspx?tabId=1871 and ask for information. I have no interest to lie, because this gives a bad image of my country.
He then went to Lisbon, to ask Sensei Luís Fernando for a diploma so that he could teach Ju Jitsu in Coimbra. He presented himself with a forged black belt diploma in Judo and self defense. Luis Fernando give him the diploma but in return asked for Helder Nunes to participate in a few seminars, so he could learn the curriculum, wich he did until he had the diploma in his hands. Returning to Coimbra witha a black belt, Sensei Alain told him to put a white belt. He never trained Judo again. Contact Portuguese Judo Federation. www.fpj.pt
Contact www.jujutsu.pt if you need more details. When Luís Fernando knew about this, expelled Mr. Nunes.
Then Shihan Nunes went to Spain, to Juan Gomes and he gave him 2º Dan, then went to England and Tattersall gave him 3º Dan.
Nine months after his first Dan, he meets in a seminar in Barcelona, again Luis Fernando, who does not believe that in nine months he evolved from a faked 1st Kyu to 3rd Dan. I know because i was there and i saw how everybody looked at Shihan Nunes that moment.
He then received 4º Dan from Sensei Brian Cheek, and was a WEBBS representant for a time, and then went to Soke Morris and got a 5º Dan.
In 2007 got a 6º Dan form Jan Karlsson.
He went to Soke Morris because he knew Morris and Cheek dont get along anymore.
Mr. Nunes has no Portuguese degree in martial arts, only one given to him on a basis of a forged Judo degree.
Nowhere in Portugal he receives any training from nowone or any graduation. He is sort of an example of what is deceit in martial arts, in all arts, from Taekwondo to Tai Chi.
Thats why he only receives degrees out of his country. Thats why with little less than 30 years he his a 6th Dan, when we have practitioners in Portugal that train for 30 years and do not have that degree. Ju Jitsu was introduced in Portugal by a portuguese-german business man named Correia Pereira. Over 40 years ago. He introduced also Judo and Karate in Portugal.
He is deceased, but still has a lot of students, old enough to be Shihan Nunes fathers.
Shihan Nunes is in Portugal the least credible martial performer, and one of the most well knowned because of his actions.
Whenever someone calls him to attention about this wrong behavior, he only says that 'You are jealous.', and that every one is conspiring against him.
All these graduations are given in exchange for representation of the respective organizations. He is smart, and knows how to take advantage of people and situations.
Of course that many other Sensei speak highly of his knowledge. Ask him to do any Ju jitsu kata.
Many that speak highly of this gentleman, belongo to the same organization that he belongs.
Watch him in a seminar, he is polite, seems full of energy, always writing something down in paper, he´s got all his act together.
But do not take my word for it. Contact other Jujitsu or Jujutsu organizations in Portugal. Hell, contact the portuguese Judo Federation, he is well known in Coimbra.
« Well Helder must have some technical ability to have gotten somewhere and received belts from other masters.
I am not defending his actions.
I am saying he has never done anything wrong to me.
I don't agree with what was done. But so far, all I have seen is one mans post to say thins was done.
If it is true or not, is not for me to say but I would like to see more proof if there is any before I jump on the bandwagon to burn Helder at the stake here.»
He has never done any harm to me, just to martial arts, in my opinion.
In Portugal he passes himself has a worlwide respected master, and has a lot of diploma-gift's to prove it.
Outside Portugal he claims that he his the only one to practice Jujitsu, or that all others are full of envy of him, and his sucess.
Cheek, Morris, others, are very capable martial artists, Pat his surely, very able too.
But we are speaking of a world, Budo world, where 'etiquete' demands that no graduation is contested. In 8, 9 years anyone can learn a few drills to show in seminars. I beg to all of those that claim Shihan Nunes to be a whiz martial kid, please, train with him, for a month, everyday, please, please, if you can. If any of you can do this, and after one month has the same opinion, i will identify myself, i will apologize in public, and never speak of this matter again.
If not, stop defending this person. In doubt, do contact the stepstones of his progress, not Morris organization, because, clearly they will defend him.
Contact WEBBS.Is as simple as that. I am portuguese, i do not belong to WEBBS, in WEBBS they will give information.
Stop defending a fraud.
To have a few knowledge of skills does not imply that a person with less than 36 years old is intitled with a 6th Dan, a deserved 6th Dan.
Most of the person in Canada and other countries where Mr. Nunes goes are good willed, and kind persons, that know nothing about this funny martial artist, and become his friends. It's natural.
Friendship should not imply that anything said against our friend is a lie.
Just has me clearly saying that he is a persona non grata in my way of seing the martial arts, should not make me a liar and 'badmouther'.
In Portugal, some people even make fun of this subject.

My friend.. I am part of WEBBS.. I was there before Helder was.
I will not badmouth you or try to say you are jealous either.. I am sure you have a valid claim..BUt I am saying I will not jump on the bandwagon before I have real proof. And I would say that if anyone told me the same of any of you if I knew you as a friend as well.